Broken Wings
by theramenfreak
Summary: Tiny shards of ice impaled her and she prayed the reflective surface had cracked of its own accord. Instead, she knew he lay somewhere in the human world; his life slowly ebbing away.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was another 'would-be-prompt'**

_Original Prompt: Broken Wings  
><em>_Character(s): Toshiro & Momo_

She raised her hand to the mirror and touched the cracked surface gently. Her pale, soft finger ran along the edge of the mangled reflective ice. She felt the slight sting of fresh air entering the small wound but the sensation was soon smothered by the trickle of crimson blood that slid slowly down her hand then wrist and dripped to the floor. Her eyes remained fixed on the uneven surface, though. There was something... _something_ wrong.

His wings were cracked and weakening with each blow. The purple ice crystals had almost totally dissolved and he closed his eyes and prayed that a hidden burst of reiatsu would engulf his weakening limbs. He heard the sound of metal sliding over metal and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The grating sound was accompanied by the sound of cruel laughter. Sighing, he gave up.

He opened his eyes in time to see the blade enter his body. The metallic silver gave a deceptively beautiful glimmer of reflected moonlight and he caught his breath. The pain didn't come. As soon as the sword cut his skin, thick ice surrounded the blade and cut off feeling. He needed seconds. The enemy, surprised by his lack of resistance, continued forward, into Toshiro's own sword. He fell, gasping to the earth.

The last ice crystal burst and fell like purple hail on the shockingly white hair. The wings too, shattered along with the tail and claw-like gauntlets. His blood flowed freely from the new, reopening wounds and his eyes were sliding shut. The wind rushed through his hair and clothes, picking at the cloth and making his eyes water. Scarlett rain fell from the sky and drenched the small figure spiralling towards the hard death.

As he fell, tiny shards of his broken wings dusted his face with tiny cuts and scratches…

Momo was crying. The looking glass had shattered completely. It lay in pieces around her badly cut knees and feet. Her hands held her sobbing head and her kimono was drenched in blood from the knees down. Tiny shards of ice impaled her and she prayed the reflective surface had cracked of its own accord. Instead, she knew he lay somewhere in the human world; his life slowly ebbing away.


	2. Chapter 2

Hands clawed at her from all around. She struggled as best she could against the restraining fingers, but all she could do was yell and curse at the invisible perpetrators. They yelled things like _''The Ryoka could be here any moment!' _or, the worst of them all _'You can't help him anymore!'_

Something inside of her, though, knew that the struggle was futile. As the the upper authorities forced her to evacuate, she fought with all of her might. Around her, the scared faces of Renji, Rukia, and some that she didn't recognize were forcing her to evacuate. Rangiku had silent tears streaming down her face as she ushered a few of her division members into the precipice world for safety.

Finally, a weak hold on her arm was broken and she pulled away desperately, running towards an unused Senkaimon Gate. She pulled out the little piece of paper with Toshiro's mission details on it, and wished with all of her being that she might find a way to him before it was too late. The fourth division members hadn't even been given time to search for the broken captain. _'The Ryoka could be on our doorstep within seconds- we need to evacuate survivors before we go looking for the wounded!'_ The Sou-Taicho's orders were harsh- possibly even cruel, but she still needed to struggle on.

The hell butterfly in front of her guided her way through the oozing walls of the precipice world without faltering. She took her final step to the exit, and watched with growing apprehension as the light behind her slowly illuminated the cement in front of her.

* * *

><p>He couldn't think any longer. His vision had turned blood red a while ago. It clouded the beauty of this world and twisted it into a gore soaked vision from a nightmare. Now, the stars were hidden from his sight as his limp neck dropped his head sideways onto the flat roof of the strange store.<p>

Perhaps if he lived through this, he'd be able to come back. This time of night really was beautiful. A breeze ruffled his hair and clothes. Slowly, he let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The cold temperature around him was certainly below freezing, however he still didn't see his breath. Was his temperature really that low? The bite of chilled water gnawed at his back. The ice from Hyourinmaru was melting quickly, encasing him in frigid water. If it weren't for the cold, it would've been the perfect place to come back to. Maybe when...if he was found before it was too late.

'_Too late now, I suppose,'_ his eyelids sliding shut.

He felt a warm hand on his forehead. He smiled and whispered 'I knew you'd come...I knew it.' His eyes were still shut, but somehow he felt at peace. 'I love you, you know,' he could barely hear himself, now. He heard a sob come from her tightly sealed lips, but still, he smiled. His consciousness was fading, however he struggled to hold onto that one bit of warmth emitted from her hand. He needed to hear those words from her.

'_Let go, Toshiro. It's okay, I don't mind - just let go. Fade away...'_

He smiled. She had finally given him the permission.

His heart slowed to a stop and his chest stopped moving with each breath.

He let himself die...

* * *

><p>Her breath left her as she saw his limp form.<p>

His chest wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. He had died with no one to witness.

She felt a tear escape her and fell to her knees beside him. She collapsed onto him as she cried. The familiar cold tinge to his skin that she usually felt was now overwhelming and just reminded her that he had gone to a place that she couldn't follow...


End file.
